


A Breathing Contrast

by frenchforbird



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Second Date, bed sharing, i don't know how tagging works guys, i guess, i know i say this every time i tag stuff but i dont know shit!!!!!, post eleventh hour arc, pre suffering game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-02-07 10:24:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12839193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frenchforbird/pseuds/frenchforbird
Summary: Taako and Kravitz had to have gone on other dates, right?





	1. Chapter 1

Their second date was at a Canvas and Cocktails down in Neverwinter. Kravitz chose the location, this time, having called Taako on the stone of farspeech and asking in a very brisk, detached manner. “Are you free this Wednesday? Maybe you can meet me at this place…” It was almost funny to Taako, how awkward the reaper sounded. Taako had shown up early, and Kravitz had shown up late, on par with their previous date, their chairs set up in the back corner of the room. They’d talked casually, about recent things with work, while painting a wintery landscape. Ironically, winter themed paintings were a city favorite. And afterwards, both a little tipsy and very proud of their paintings, Kravitz had opened a portal to Taako’s dorm on the moon base. Taako had promised him some wine, possibly a dessert, and neither of them really wanted the night to end.

Merle was out on one of his ‘secret missions’, Magnus was on a mission with Team Sweet Flips, and they had the dorm to themselves. It was only a little bit of a mess, Taako kicking some junk under their couch as they walked to the kitchen. They drank more wine, ate oreos Taako pulled out from the back cupboard because he’d forgotten that he’d eaten all the ice cream that morning. 

“This is definitely a, uh, date, right?” Taako asked, pouring Kravitz another glass of the cheap wine he’d bought at Fantasy Costco. The reaper blushed, coughed, and nodded. “Good. Wanna migrate to the bedroom?”

Kravitz blushed. He coughed, and nodded.

In the end, nothing really happened. They collapsed on Taako’s bed, Kravitz insulted his choice of books, they finished the bottle of wine. They didn’t really let themselves touch, keeping a cautious distance between each other. Eventually, drunk on cheap wine, they both fell asleep. 

Kravitz woke up early the next morning, startled to find the lithe body of an elf clinging to his chest. He stares down at Taako for a few moments, waiting for the haze of his mini wine hangover to fade. Taako had been so careful about not touching him, that night before, keeping a distant distance. But now, asleep, he had curled himself against Kravitz’s body, holding tightly. He looked peaceful, as he slept. Kravitz watched the wizard, almost startled by this development.

As minutes passed, and Kravitz grew more comfortable with the fact that he had become a pillow for this man, he looked over the room. He hadn’t seen much of it, the previous night. There was an entire shelf on the bookcase dedicated to hats, and he could see the umbrella that had tried to kill him on the last date tucked in the corner. At the moment, it was intert. The walls were entirely bare- save for the painting he had made last night. It was crooked, and in the morning light Kravitz could see how much Taako had _not_ been paying attention to their instructor. 

He let his attention wander back to the sleeping elf. He truly was a beauty, a confusing one. An outstanding flirt who had only actually touched Kravitz once. He could be seen as a narcissist but in his moments of honesty he was just someone who was afraid and desperate to please. A breathing contrast.

The time came when Kravitz had to leave for work. He reluctantly and carefully untangled himself from under Taako, straightened his clothes, and found his staff in the kitchen. An odd, warm feeling in chest, the reaper departed.

\---

Taako woke half an hour later to an empty bed. He was expecting it, had been expecting it all along, but that didn’t stop the disappointment he felt. Groaning, he rolled over, contemplating the consequences of staying in bed all day instead of training. As he shifted, his eyes fell upon a folded sheet of paper on the pillow next to him, his own name scrawled on the front. Taako squinted at it for a few seconds before slowly reaching out and unfolding it. 

_Had to run. Sorry to leave before you woke up. Call me when you can?_

It was signed by Kravitz. Next to his signature was a terribly drawn heart. Taako laughed as he saw it, his heart swelling. He flopped himself back down on his bed, grinning. Maybe he would make it to training, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy this one kinda sucks. but i've had this idea bouncing around for a few days and n e e d e d to write it. i miiiight write more, depending on if there's any interest in that. i definitely have some ideas! 
> 
> i hope you guys enjoyed, and feedback is always always appreciated. thank you for reading!!


	2. Chapter 2

Their third, fourth, and fifth date followed the same patterns. One would awkwardly call the other, a couple days before some sort of crafting event that had alcohol. Taako would show up early. Kravitz would show up late. Taako would spend the entire event flirting, not even paying attention to what he was meant to do. Kravitz would spend the entire evening trying not to get caught staring at Taako. Afterwards, they’d go back to Taako’s room and drink his cheap wine and talk about nonsensical things. Taako would explain some spell he had learned. Kravitz would recount a necromancer chase he’d been on that morning. They would fall asleep, on opposite ends of the bed. Kravitz would wake up at the crack of dawn with an elf curled against his side. Taako would wake up 5 minutes before he was due for training with a scrawled note next to his head.

It was a decent pattern.

However, it began to evolve. They would go on walks, in between the crafts and the bedroom. At some point, Taako started taking Kravitz’s hand while they walked in the dark. They didn’t talk as they walked, save for pointing out shooting stars and other places they could visit. Shortly after the handholding, Kravitz noticed that Taako would sit closer to him in bed. Not quite touching, still so hesitant, but he had began to bridge the gap. 

Date nine; back at the Chug and Squeeze. They’d started to run out of new options, and Magnus had broken Taako’s vase about a week before. It was a Tuesday, apparently not a very busy day for pottery making. This one wasn’t a couples event, but Taako had shown up early and shoved two chairs in the back corner together.

“I’m sorry, sir, but we have the room position in the ideal arrangement for our class tonight and-”

“Uhh, yeah, do you know who I am?”

“I-”

“I think you’ll make an acception for me. The name’s Taako. From tv?” He waited as the guy squinted at him. “Also, fuck you and your rules.”

The instructor didn’t have the energy to argue, going back to his _How To Sculpt For Dummies_ book. 

The night went quicker than Taako wanted it to. Him and Kravitz talked about unimportant things, made jokes about the last time they were here Taako was bargaining for his life. Kravitz was the one, this time, to lean over and help Taako to shape his vase. They both drank too much wine, and stumbled into the bedroom with less grace than a wizard and a reaper should have. Taako held Kravitz’s hand, as they laid on his messy bed.

“Hey, mister bone man-” Taako was cut off as Kravitz burst out laughing, his face red at the nickname.

“Sorry, sorry, I… continue?” Kravitz squeezed the elf’s hand, smiling in a sappy way. Taako rolled his eyes before taking a breath.

“We’re definitely, like, boyfriends, right?” 

“I-” Kravitz stopped. He wasn’t exactly sure how he was supposed to respond. Or, rather, how he _wanted_ to respond. But he knew that he wouldn’t trade the time he spent with Taako for anything. Taako made him feel alive. Confused, also, but mostly alive. “I think we are.”

“Awesome,” Taako replied, passing out.

Kravitz wasn’t long to follow, falling asleep with a smile on his face. He knew that he’d wake up in the morning with a beautiful elf at his side. He knew that he’d have another date to go on in the next couple days. He knew that he would be happy, at least for a time. And that was enough.

\--- 

Taako awoke to an empty bed. He always did, he was used to it now. Laying there, savoring the quiet of the morning, he remembered the stupid question he had asked. It was truly a stupid question, and one he wouldn’t have asked if he had been sober. Kravitz had probably been annoyed by it, disgusted by it, he would probably never go on another date with him, he probably hated Taako now, he-

Taako rolled over and saw another note, pristinely folded, sitting on the pillow next to him. His name was written on the top- as if he wouldn’t know it was for him. He took a deep breath. It was a nervous breath, almost shaky. This was the first good thing he had had in awhile, and if he ruined it by being a sappy drunk, he didn’t know what he would do with himself. 

_Hope you slept well. It’s your turn to make plans. Call me._

And then Kravitz had signed his name, with two hearts. Blushing like an idiot, Taako held the note to his chest and grinned at the ceiling. Okay. He hadn’t messed anything up at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look who wrote more?? it's short again, i think most of the chapters will be. i have plans for the next chapter, hopefully it'll be up in a couple days.
> 
> i'm honestly really loving writing this. it's super indulgent and i am having f u n.
> 
> hope you guys enjoyed reading!!! feedback is always appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

Date number eleven. Taako had been planning the night for a few weeks now- the Director had given everyone 2 days off for Fantasy Black Friday. Merle and Magnus were planning some ridiculous all-day camp out at Fantasy Costco that Taako was not at all interested. He’d lent him his pocket spa, and in return, had their dorm all to himself. He wanted to find a way to show Kravitz how much he meant to him. Especially after that whole gross boyfriend question.

So, Taako did the one thing he knew he could do best. He cooked.

He cooked the best meal he could, spending the entire Thursday on it. He even let Angus help, at the start, when there was a lot of prep work to be done. At each stage of the meal (which was a heavenly beef stew, with homemade bread, and palmiers for dessert) Taako sprinkled some of his No Sodium Salt on the food. Even though he knew now that the disaster at Glamour Springs was no fault of his, he couldn’t shake the nervousness that came each time he cooked something. After each test of the salt, he would sample it himself. He’d rather himself end up sick than his boyfriend. 

As he was taking the bread out of the oven to cool, he heard Kravitz’s now familiar voice sounded from the stone of farspeech in his pocket, sounding a little urgent and loud.

“Ta- _Hey, where the fuck do you think you’re going?!_ \- Taako, I’m so sorry, I think I’m going to be late.” Taako fumbled with his oven mitts as he pulled out the stone. “I took on an extra job so I could be- _WOULD YOU MIND NOT DOING THAT?_ ”

Taako snickered as Kravitz’s ridiculous cockney accent came through the stone. His laugh was cut short as he heard a blast of magic, and something definitely breaking. 

“Babe, you good?” He tried not to let his voice betray his utter worry.

“Sor- Sorry, Taako, I gotta take care of this _litTLE SHIT_ ,” Kravitz sounded out of breath, struggling to speak over the sounds of battle. “I’m probably definitely gonna be late, but, uh-”

Another crashing noise, the sound of glass breaking. Kravitz started shouting in his cockney again, hurling insults and sounded completely and utterly frustrated. Taako reminisced on the day when Kravitz was yelling those same insults at him and Merle and Magnus. It was an interesting first impression. 

“Hey, Krav, don’t worry about it. Just like… don’t die, ya know?”

“I promise. _What the hell is wrONG WITH YOU?! YOU WEREN’T EVEN GOING TO GO TO THE ETERNAL STOCKADE. YOU FUCKED YOURSELF. YOU FUCKED YOURSELF, CORVID!”_

Laughing, Taako terminated the connection and returned to stirring the stew. He still had a lot of work to do before dinner would be ready. Maybe Kravitz’s being delayed would be a happy coincidence, and everything would align perfectly 

\--- 

Everything did not align perfectly. 

Kravitz stepped through his rift into the dark kitchen of the THB’s dorm. Everything was silent, and he could see a burnt down candle on the table. A nice arrangement had been set up, flowers and everything, and Kravitz felt crushing guilt in his chest. He hadn’t meant to ruin the evening like this, he hadn’t- His train of thought was derailed as his eyes fell upon a note sitting in front of the chair he assumed would have gone to him. He quickly snatched it up, eager to read what was inside. 

_I don’t know if you need to eat or anything, but I got everything in the fridge if you do. It’ll be shitty leftovers, but also you didn’t show up on time so I think you deserve that. So, eat if you need to. And then come to bed._

There was an elaborate signature at the bottom, one Kravitz assumed had been perfected back in Taako’s tv star days. Still feeling a little guilty, he shoved the note in his pocket, ate down the stew as quickly as he could, and slowly pushed open the door to Taako’s room. The elf was curled up in the corner of the bed, seemingly sleeping peacefully. Kravitz slowly closed the door. As he carefully lowered himself onto the bed, a tired voice startled him into dropping the rest of the way with a soft thump. 

“Asshole. You’re late.” Taako pushed himself up to sitting. He glared at Kravitz through half closed eyes, but there was a kindness to it, a teasing. “I made you _palmiers_. Do you know how hard it is to make that shit?” 

“I’m sorry, Taako.” Kravitz looked utterly disappointed in himself. “I didn’t realize how long it would take, and I-” 

“Hey. Bone daddy. Chill. I get it. We both got weird jobs.” Taako yawned, but didn’t let up his gaze on Kravitz. Behind his joking, something was definitely up. He cleared his throat, suddenly averting his eyes. “I, uh. I was worried about you. Asshole.” 

“Taako, I’m s-” 

“Don’t apologize. You don’t need to,” Taako scolded. They fell into a comfortable silence. For a moment Kravitz wasn’t sure if he was still awake. 

Suddenly, the elf propelled himself across the bed. He slid under Kravitz’s arm, resting his head on his chest, clinging to his chest like it was his anchor in a storm. Kravitz’s was startled but quickly adjusted, holding Taako as securely as he could. 

“Shit, you’re cold,” Taako said, but he didn’t budge from his spot. “I was… really worried. And, uh, I’m sorry for getting all up in your space but- fuck, I was worried and now you’re here and, uh, I’m not gonna let go. You chill with that?” 

“Of course, Taako.” He smiled down at the elf, the previous guilt being replaced with some sort of warmth. Happiness. “Anything for you.” 

\--- 

Taako woke up expecting to see what he did every morning after a date with the reaper: an empty bed, and a note signed with at least one heart. Instead, he found the reaper. Kravitz was running his fingers through Taako’s hair, his eyes closed as the morning light washed over him. Taako stared for… an extremely long time. This was his _boyfriend_ , this extremely handsome and kind man. Eventually his gaze drew the attention of the reaper, and they locked eyes. 

“Good morning, Taako. Sleep well?” 

“Mhmm. Hey, uh, you’re still here? You don’t have to, like, reap the souls of the damned, or whatever?” 

A warm laugh. “No, actually.” 

“No deaths on Fantasy Black Friday, huh?” 

Another laugh, this one startled and bright and happy. Taako was happy, too. 

“Well, if there are any, it’s not my problem today. I took that extra job last night so I could have the day off.” He blushed, brushing some hair out of Taako’s face. “I felt bad for always leaving before you’d wake up.” 

“Oh, I didn’t mind. The notes were cute. But this is much better, natch.” 

“Much better,” Kravitz agreed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so honestly?? this chapter is the entire reason i started this fic. i had this really dumb date idea but then i wanted to do other dates. so this fic has all been leading up to this date. i'm def gonna write more, but it might be a couple days before i do because i honestly have no more ideas atm.
> 
> i wanna say thank you to my friend logan for giving me the whole black friday dialogue- he's a lot better at character shit than i am and i love and appreciate him.
> 
> also shout out to Corvidae_Crow! they commented on both of my last chapters so i decided to steal their name for the necromancer or w/e that Krav was dealing with.
> 
> i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!! thank you for reading and feedback is a l w a y s appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

“How long am I allowed to use you as my pillow?” Taako asked, although the real question was _how much longer can we just chill in bed_. Kravitz hummed as he thought about it, his cold fingers still running through Taako’s hair. 

“Until we get hungry. Does that sound good?” 

“Mhmm.” Taako watched Kravitz with lazy eyes. He was extremely comfortable, cradled in the reaper’s strong and caring arms. He let himself wonder, for the simplest second, what it would be like to wake up to this every morning. To a handsome man, to someone caring, to those soft and cold fingers in his hair lulling him back to sleep…

“Taako, love?” Taako opened his eyes with a start. Kravitz tightened his hold, securely keeping Taako in place. “I didn’t mean to startle you, but… well, I am hungry. I supposed you would be as well?”

“Oh, yes. Food.” He paused, then pushed himself to sitting, looking down at Kravitz. “Waffles sound good, my dude?”

“Absolutely.”

The migration from the bedroom to the kitchen was… slow, to say the least. Kravitz was surprised by how clingy the elf was being, even after the previous night. As Kravitz changed into a new set of clothes, Taako clung to his waist, never even uttering a complaint about the cold bare cold. Kravitz, of course, returned the favor as Taako changed. Eventually, they stumbled into the kitchen. Kravitz felt like he had been with Taako a million years.

He sat at the counter as Taako cooked, his chin propped up in his hands. Feelings like these, were new to the reaper. Friendship, he was used to. Rivalry, even more so. But this… this overwhelming feeling of… well, it couldn’t be love, could it? It had only been two months. Two months, since the awkward date at the pottery place.

Two months.

It felt like a hundred years.

Taako set a plate of waffles covered in strawberries in front of Kravitz, pulling him out of his thoughts. They tucked in without hesitation, more hungry than either had realized. No talking occured. They simply smiled at each other, content in the silence. 

They spent the rest of the day lounging around, reading and cooking and eating and a little bit of sleeping. It was almost sickeningly domestic. The peace that held was kinder than anything. They were kinder than anything. 

Two months? A lifetime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so, im not actually that happy with this chapter. it's short and kinda low quality, but i wanted to write some fluff and update this fic. i promise i'll put out something decent soon, but i kinda burnt myself out on this story writing 3 chapters in a row.
> 
> regardless, i hope you enjoy it!! thank you for reading, and feedback is always appreicated!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote this while half asleep and did 0 (zero) editting so, uh, this might suck.

The night comes when Kravitz appears in Taako’s room, unscheduled and covered in blood. “Shit,” Taako says, and he throws his magazine on the floor and clambers out of his bed to Kravitz. Worry squeezes at his heart- he shouldn’t be worried, Kravitz doesn’t _look_ worried, but this is someone that he cares about and he isn’t used to caring this much. Walking dust, right? _Right?_

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come-” Kravitz begins to speak, and he doesn’t sound worried either. But Taako doesn’t let him speak, his voice higher than usual and utterly panicked.

“What the hell happened to you, bone daddy?” The nickname is thrown on as an afterthought as Taako demands answers. He almost wants to wrap Kravitz in his arms, but there is still the small part of him that is afraid of touch, and what it will mean. “The blood?”

“Not mine, I promise. Well, not all of it.” Kravitz sighs, and there is a hint of regret in his eyes. “Can I use your shower?”

Taako isn't used to Kravitz being this vague, but he's tired and worried and so he leads the reaper into his bathroom and points out all the knobs and makes a half hearted joke about how using his body wash is basically second base. And then, Taako climbs back into his bed and thinks that, if he falls asleep, maybe it will turn out to be some weird stress dream.

* * *

Kravitz slipped back into Taako’s room after a quick shower. He had a full apology prepared, but Taako had somehow managed to fall asleep. He took a deep breath, then shook the elf awake. When his eyes flew open, he saw disappointment in them.

“Not a dream, then,” Taako grumbled, sitting up. “So, uh, what the hell, Krav?”

“I messed up.” He answered the question simply. Taako stared at him, obviously expecting him to continue, and so he did. “I messed up a bounty, and someone very powerful almost got away, and my Queen isn’t going to be happy.”

Silence. A long, long silence. A silence which stretches into forever. A silence that was broken by the means of Taako entirely losing his shit.

“Wait, babe, you're telling me that you showed up in my room at fuck-all in the morning because you're afraid of getting _grounded_ by your _bird mom_?!” Taako got out the sentence in between his laughs, and Kravitz frowns.

“That's… that not quite what I said, but-”

“Babe. Krav. Dude.” Taako paused, pursing his lips. “I actually don't know where I was going with that.” He stared down Kravitz for a moment before speaking again. “Are you staying?’

“If you'll have me,” he said with no hesitation.

“Fucking- I'll always have you, you know that, right?” Taako said it as if it was the simplest thing to say.

With that stunning confession, he collapsed back into his many pillows and was out like a light. Kravitz smiled at him, and climbed into bed next to him, only wincing a little at the wound in his chest. It was hard to injure a reaper, and this one hurt like hell. Kravitz knew that he would have to face the consequences in the morning, that his Queen was not going to be pleased that he failed in his bounty and didn't immediately report back to her. But he had been missing Taako, anyways, and the messy dorm room is becoming more like a home to him than it has any right to be. 

Kravitz falls asleep. He's already fallen in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really wanted to write some sort of scene where krav is injured and his first thought it to go to taako. so this is just me indulging that want. it is another short chapter, and probably very low quality. hopefully I'll make up for it with some updates in the next couple days????
> 
> also, apologies for the weird tense switching. for some reason i start writing in present tense, which i enjoy for short drabbles but not for stuff like this. i was too tired to fix it, so it switches in the middle.
> 
> i hope, despite all that, you enjoyed!! thank you all so much for reading. feedback is always appreciated!!


	6. Chapter 6

Their next date night was two nights later. _Somehow_ , Kravitz escapes the disappointment of his Queen and doesn’t have to cancel. It’s a simple night, watching fantasy _Clueless_ and drinking some fancy wine Kravitz isn’t entirely sure that Taako didn’t steal. They both fell asleep, on opposite edges of the bed, content and drowsy.

Kravitz woke up to muffled crying, and an empty bed.

There was no light filtering in from the windows, save from the dim glow of the real moon and the accompanying stars. He could see well enough, regardless, and a quick glance around the room resulted in no sign of Taako. The bed sheets were rumpled more than usual. There was a half empty glass of water on the side table, not that old, if the condensation on the glass was any sign. And, in the corner of the room, there was a closed bathroom door. It didn’t take long to find the source of the crying.

Kravitz slowly untangled himself from the bed covers. He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, then pushed himself to his feet. He crossed the room as quietly as he could. Reaching the door, he rapped his knuckles against the wood, gentle, not wanting to intrude. The sobs ceased with a hiccupy breath, and silence held for a few seconds.

“Taako?” Kravitz broke the silence, his voice quiet and calm and hardly betraying the worry that was strangling his tongue. “I’m coming in, alright? If you tell me to leave, I will, but.”

He didn’t finish his sentence. He didn’t know how to; he hoped that Taako would fill in the gaps.

He pushed open the door. His red eyes fell upon Taako, sitting in the bathtub with his clothing on, knees hugged to his chest and a vacant look in his eyes. They stared at each other, bleary eyes to worried ones.

“It’s ‘cha boy, uh.” Taako spoke first, his voice breaking in a way that it never had before. “Skinny penis.” He finished his sentence like it was meant to be a joke, but his heart wasn’t in it. His voice barely carried the intent, and his eyes- Kravitz couldn’t stop looking at his eyes.

Since he started dating Taako, he had experienced the elf in many different states of vulnerability. It had been barely more than a month, but they’d been through some highs and lows. They cared for each other, above all, had seen the best and worst. Supposedly. Kravitz had never seen Taako like this.

After another long silence, Kravitz moved from the doorway and began to climb into the tub with Taako. They sat at opposite ends, legs a tangled mess, maintaining that shaky eye contact. “Is this okay?” He asked, biting his tongue.

“Don’t leave,” Taako said, and there was a broken heart behind those words.

“I won’t.”

More silence.

“I had a nightmare.” The admittal did not come easy. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

Something Kravitz had learned about Taako was that he didn't open easy. He didn't trust easy, he didn't love easy, he didn't live easy. There was no use fighting it; any answer would be filled with contrary bitterness.

“Okay.”

Silence. Everlasting silence, breaths and breathing and Taako was still crying. 

“I can't remember what it was. It was- it was like static. But now all I feel is empty. Like everything was taken from me. I think I dreamt that everything was taken from me. Or disappeared.” An indignant huff. “However the fuck it happened, I- I. I was alone?”

“You're never alone,” Kravitz promised. He held out his hand, not expecting Taako to take it. But he did, and held fast.

They fell asleep in that bathtub. When Kravitz woke, his soul calling him to do his duty, he scooped Taako into his arms and deposited him in the bed. He moved to write a note, but a warm hand grabbed his wrist.

“Be safe, my dude,” came the muffled voice under the covers.

“Of course, love.”

* * *

Taako hated himself for blushing- he appreciated the covers that hid his gleeful face at the pet name. Even after the tears, and the bathtub, he still had Kravitz. He still had friends; Merle and Magnus and Angus and Avi and Johann and-

God fucking dammit. He was turning into a sap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey. we hit 1000 hits??? i cannot tell you how much i appreciate you guys. i love you all so much.
> 
> this was another heavy chapter, oops. I've kinda turned this fic into something for myself; I'm in a tricky place mentally atm and need some comfort, so taako gets comfort, etc.
> 
> i hope you guys enjoyed, regardless of my own self indulgence, lol.
> 
> we're getting, time wise, a little close to wonderland,,,,, which also means we are getting a little close to me finishing this fic?? I've never actually completed a fic before, save for oneshots. but don't worry, i have a lot more planned for these boys.
> 
> thank you so much for reading!! feedback is always appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

Kravitz sat at the counter, scrubbing blood off of his hands with a wet wipe. Taako was busy poring a box of fantasy Kraft mac’n’cheese into a pot of boiling water. He’d had a rough day at training, and had skipped a celebratory dinner with the boys and Team Sweet Flips to “chill with this chilly boy here”. They existed together in silence. It was calm. It was comforting. And then the rude tug of his soul, pulling him away from the safety of domesticity and into the Astral Plane.

“Shit,” he said, standing.

“You alright, babe?” Taako was distracted as he pulled spices out from the cupboard. 

“I have to go. There’s some sort of emergency,” as he crossed the room to Taako, his soul tugged once more, “and I really can’t ignore it.”

“Hachi machi. Ruining my fancy ass dinner? You better come home as soon as possible.”

“Goodnight, Taako,” Kravitz said with a laugh. Taako turned to him and lazily kissed him on the cheek before turning back to his pasta.

Kravitz stood there, heart racing. _Is my heart racing? Is that even possible? _It was the closest thing to a kiss he had received from that vain and self depreciating elf. Taako had treated mere hand holding like a marriage proposal. And now, he was pressing his lips to Kravitz’s cheek like it was nothing. Kravitz felt his heart swelling with a feeling that had been growing on him in the last couple weeks. He was suddenly struck with an urge to spill his thoughts and every feeling to the man before him.__

“Taako, I--” 

And then, his soul gave one final tug and he found himself standing on the shores of the Wakeless Sea. 

“--think I love you.” 

He stood, chest heaving, breath echoing. 

And then the world caved in. 

* * *

In the Astral Plane, time does not pass the same. Some argue that time does not pass at all, that the Astral Plane is timeless. There is nothing there to distinguish between day and night, minutes and seconds. On the Prime Material Plane, years could pass, and Kravitz would never know. He would never age or find himself weary. Perhaps no time had passed at all. Perhaps he was still in that very first second, when the world went dark, when the danger his plane had warned him of came to pass. 

All these thoughts burned in his brain. He fought against the deep current of the sea, desperate and alone. He had never felt so alone. 

A grasping hand broke the surface of the infected waters. He finally found the energy to pull himself free of the suffocating darkness. 

The entire plane seemed in a state of disarray. The Wakeless Sky (was it a sky, or another sea?) was falling. The only untouched place was the Eternal Stockade, cold and steel against the oily slick of the end of the world. 

And then, Taako appeared. 

More accurately, Magnus appeared, first. His soul was untethered and being pulled into the Astral Plane at an alarming speed. And then, Taako appeared, untethered and determined. The waters beneath and around him grew stronger and angry, but Kravitz fought the overwhelming force. He was desperate to keep his head about water, desperate to keep his eyes on Taako. 

Kravitz couldn’t tell if Taako saw him beneath the waves. He watched as Magnus was pulled away from the Astral Plane, as Merle caught him, arms outstretched. Taako’s soul was still untethered when the doorway blinked shut. 

And then, the waves pulled him under. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i still exist!!!
> 
> this isnt that long, and i apologize for that. but i felt like ending on a cliff hanger was better than making you guys wait a month for me to actually finish a second half. i will hopefully have an update out for the siren's song later today (and maybe even vanity, if we're lucky!).
> 
> thanks for sticking around for the weeks it's been! thank you for reading, and feedback is always appreciated!!!


End file.
